Kharif Sowing picks up

Tirupati: Kharif sowing which was slow in the beginning of the crop season has picked up thanks to the rains in the first three days of this month (July) in Chittoor district.

The widespread rains in the last three days recording a total of 37 mm average rainfall triggered sowing which is going on briskly in the district.

Interestingly the many mandals in the arid western part of the district reported good rains. According to Joint Director of Agriculture (JDA) N Vijaya Kumar so far groundnut crop was sown in about 75,000 hectares as against the normal groundnut crop of 1.3 lakh hectare in the Kharif season.

He said with the sowing is in full swing, the district is expected to reach the normal groundnut crop area of 1.3 lakh hectare.

In June, there was 13 per cent deficient in rainfall resulting in the slowdown of sowing operation but picked up due to the rains in July first week, he said while explaining that the district is better in Kharif sowing compared to other Rayalaseema district which is alarming.

“With the Met department predicting normal rain in the Kharif, we hope the district will have normal acreage of sowing this year,” the JDA said.

With regard to supply of seeds, he said 60,000 quintal groundnut seed was already supplied to farmers while a stock of 16,000 quintal more seed is with the department for distribution.

Government must fulfill 30 percent of the seed requirement in the Kharif while the remaining is being met by the farmers from their own sources, he said affirming that there is no shortage of seeds in Chittoor district.